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Philexport Cebu to Co-host a Networking Conference for Business Support Organizations from ASEAN REG |
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Written by Sabine Schacknat
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Tuesday, 27 January 2009 |
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Business Support Organizations (BSOs)
that cater to small and medium scale enterprises face an increased
challenge in times of an economic crisis. They have to support their
clients even more and extend their service offers. Networking with
other BSOs throughout the region is a big opportunity for them to excel
in their service delivery.
 Such a networking opportunity is coming up in October 2009 when Philexport Cebu will host the first regional TOPIX Conference outside the Netherlands. TOPIX is a networking event that aims to inform the top executives of BSO’s on the latest developments in export marketing and trade promotion. The originator of the TOPIX Conferences is the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI), an agency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands.
In 2006 and 2008 CBI staged two TOPIX Conferences in the Netherlands, where organizations from “client countries” that joined their development programs, could share knowledge and collaborate in achieving common objectives. CBI runs a BSO development program that consists of institutional support modules tailored to the specific needs of the organization, country and sectors. Part of the program is strengthening existing as well as creating new network collaboration projects for the participants where TOPIX is one component of it.
In 2006 Philexport Cebu joined the BSO development program of CBI and due to their preeminent performance they were chosen to share their example of “best practices” to the international audience of the just-concluded TOPIX Conference in Rotterdam last October 2008. Philexport Cebu’s president, Mr. Jay Yuvallos, presented the achievements of the BSO and advocated for an increased effort in networking activities. Hence, the idea of a regional TOPIX Conference was born. Due to the high interest of the participants from South East Asia and the proactive attitude of Philexport Cebu, that immediately volunteered to co-organize the first regional TOPIX Conference in Cebu City in October this year.
This prestigious three-day conference, with participants coming from all over the ASEAN region, will be an outstanding opportunity for BSOs to exchange knowledge and share best practices, and to strengthen existing partnerships and to create new network collaboration projects. The objective of the conference is to continue building BSO “Smart Networks” that are highly effective and lead to relevant and lasting connections. The overall objective still remains the same: to provide the common client - the exporters - with the best possible services and information they need to successfully export to the EU. This objective becomes even more important in times of a market slowdown during the current global economic crisis.
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